2. Jax
Chapter two
Jax
T he dim glow of multiple screens cast eerie shadows across Jax's industrial loft apartment. Hunched over his laptop, fingers flying furiously over the keys, he was like a mad scientist in a digital laboratory. The outside world ceased to exist as he navigated intricate networks and bypassed formidable firewalls.
There was one project in particular that he was working on that he just couldn’t let go of, though. He couldn’t bypass the security systems, and it was pissing him off. He was better than this. How could something as pathetic as a strip club have tighter security than the freaking government? Jax had hacked into governors’ top-secret case files before, and yet the Easy Gal Strip Joint in downtown Chicago had him baffled.
"Jax!" Blake's voice cut through the room like a knife. "What the hell are you doing in there?"
"Busy," Jax muttered, not looking up from his screen. "Go away."
"Enough, Jax," Nash added. "You've been locked in your room for days. It's not healthy. You’re not a teenager anymore."
"Got shit to do," Jax snapped, irritation flaring at the interruption. His focus wavered, and he gritted his teeth, attempting to regain the thread of his work. Why couldn't they see that he needed to concentrate?
"Dammit, Jax!" Blake slammed his hand onto the desk, jostling the precariously stacked empty energy drink cans. "We're worried about you! Talk to us!"
"Look, I know you're trying to help, but—" Jax began, finally tearing his gaze from the screen.
"Help? Jax, this is more like a fucking intervention!" Nash exclaimed. "You're so wrapped up in this digital world that you can't even see what it's doing to you!"
"Intervention?" Jax scoffed. “It’s not like I’m playing online games or addicted to gambling. This is important. Plus, I can handle myself, thanks."
"Can you? Because all we see is a brother who spends every waking moment glued to his screens, forgetting to eat, ignoring his friends," Blake shot back, frustration clear in his voice.
"Really, guys?" Jax sighed, rubbing his temples. He didn't need this right now. He didn't need them invading his space and telling him how to live his life. But a tiny voice in the back of his mind whispered, what if they're right?
What if his obsession with hacking into this strip joint had gotten the better of him?
"Jax," Nash said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We just want you to be happy and healthy, bro. You've got people who care about you out here in the real world. And people you need to take care of. Don't forget that."
“You know the dictionary definition of an addiction, right?” said Blake, trying to stand between Jax and his computer screen. Undeterred, Jax just looked at a different screen. “It’s when you no longer have control over something. It controls you. And it becomes harmful to you. You start neglecting other areas of your life.”
“We heard you haven’t been showing up to your shifts at the library,” said Nash.
That part was true. Jax worked one day a week in the university library’s Special Collections department. It contained some of the oldest, dustiest books in existence, and it was nothing but pure pleasure for Jax as he pored over those old tomes.
But lately, he hadn’t had time for it. And that was his business. Nobody else’s.
Jax sighed. “Look guys, I know you both care about me, but . . . I’m working on somethin’ important, okay?”
“Go on then, what are you working on?” asked Nash, arching an eyebrow.
“Yeah, man,” added Blake. “You won’t tell us anything about the project.”
“That’s not the way Paladin Security works,” reminded Nash. “We’re a team.”
Jax gritted his teeth. His brothers were right. Their private security firm, Paladin Security, just didn’t work unless the three of them worked together. Each of them were big personalities—Daddy Doms, in fact—and they specialized in taking care of vulnerable women, and in particular Littles. The problem was that the case that Jax was trying to crack now involved Savannah’s Little.
Three weeks ago Savannah had received a tip-off that Mia was working at a strip joint in town, but the strip joint turned out to have better security than Fort fuckin’ Knox. Savannah and Blake hadn’t managed to infiltrate the place, and nor had Jax. He didn’t want to tell his brothers that he hadn’t been able to give up on the damn project—and it was all because of the tattoo on Mia Fiorelli’s neck.
Savannah had been the one to show him an old photograph she had of Mia’s tattoo. Back when they were in foster care together, Mia had gotten the tattoo illegally and Savannah had taken a Polaroid of it with their foster father’s camera. Savannah had shown Blake and his brothers the picture while they were looking for it, and Jax had instantly recognized it.
Shere Khan.
The formidable tiger from the novel, Jungle Book.
Something about seeing that tiger had ignited a spark of determination in him. He couldn’t let down the woman who had been bold and brave enough to get that tattoo. It wasn’t just a picture—it was a statement of intent. A call to arms.
Hell, maybe Jax was just too obsessed with literature. With signs.
Maybe his brothers were right and he was simply addicted to tech.
Whatever it was, he couldn’t give up on Mia, he couldn’t stop trying to break into the strip joint’s security system, and he couldn’t afford to waste time talking to his brothers about the damn thing.
“Just . . . leave me be, guys. I’ll catch up with you later,” he said, eyes glued to his computer screen.
Jax's fingers hovered over the keyboard, his heart pounding in his chest. He knew he was pushing them away, but he couldn't help it. The need to find Mia consumed him, gnawing at the edges of his mind like a relentless beast. He cared about his brothers, but this was something he had to do on his own.
"Fine," Nash said, his voice tense with frustration. "But you'd better show up at The Haven tonight for poker. No excuses."
"Fine," Jax echoed, swallowing hard as they left the loft. His eyes flicked back to the screen, guilt roiling within him. He felt torn between his duty to his family and his personal mission to find Mia. But he couldn't let them see that; not now, not when he was so close.
His fingers flew across the keys, sweat beading on his forehead as he attempted to crack the strip club's security system. It was more advanced than anything he'd encountered before, piquing his curiosity even as it stoked his frustration.
"Damn it," he muttered under his breath, tapping furiously on the keyboard. "What are they hiding?"
Heaving a deep sigh, Jax forced himself to refocus. He couldn't afford to slip up now, not when Savannah's old friend Mia was at stake.
The minutes ticked by, turning into hours, but still, Jax refused to give up. He knew that somewhere behind the layers of digital security, Mia was waiting to be found. And he wouldn't rest until he'd uncovered the truth, no matter the cost to himself or his relationships.
"You're not going to beat me," he snarled at the screen, eyes narrowing in defiance. "I'm coming for you, Mia. Just hold on a little longer."
The rhythmic tapping of Jax's fingers on the keyboard echoed through the dimly lit loft, drowning out the roar of the city below.
"Shit," Jax muttered, knocking over his cold, long-forgotten cup of coffee. The dark liquid pooled on the floor. Jax barely registered the stickiness of the keys beneath his fingers or the acrid scent of stale caffeine.
"Fine," he growled, slamming his fist on the table in frustration. "I'll play your game." He made a decision that went against every fiber of his being—to pay for access to the webcam and pose as a customer. The webcam address was the only thing he’d managed to find access to in his frantic searches online. He’d resisted pursuing that path up until now, as the thought of paying money to watch a woman strip off made him sick to the stomach. Some of the things he’d come across online, the ways in which women’s bodies were sold for men’s entertainment, angered him beyond belief.
It was a desperate move, but all other avenues had proven futile.
As Jax set up the payment using his most secure cryptocurrency account, his heart hammered against his chest, the anticipation coursing through him like an electric current. He clenched his jaw, determination etched on his face. He needed to see Mia with his own eyes, needed to know she was safe. Or at least alive.
"Come on, Mia," Jax whispered to himself, his growing fascination with her driving his every move. "Show me you're still fighting."
His fingers hovered over the mouse, hesitating for only a moment before clicking 'enter.' Despite the pounding of his heart, he forced himself to take slow, steady breaths. This wasn't just about finding Mia–this was about making a connection, bridging the gap between the digital world and the real one.
"Alright, Jax. You got this," he murmured as he prepared to engage in conversation with the enigmatic woman who had captured his attention. And as he braced himself for what he was about to witness, he couldn't shake the feeling that his entire world was about to change.
Finally, the connection was established, and the screen flickered to life. Jax's breath caught in his throat when a woman appeared before him, her image pixelated for just an instant before sharpening into perfect clarity. Mia. It had to be her.
There was a thin woman lying on a bed on her stomach, her head resting in her hands as she blinked at the camera. Her hair was long, black, and curly, and her dark skin showed bones jutting out of it. Her eyes were a striking green color, and they held a mix of submission and power that resonated deep within Jax's core.
"Looks like I have a new viewer," Mia said, her voice soft yet strong, sending shivers down Jax's spine. “Welcome, Fred.”
Jax grimaced at the name he’d chosen for himself. He cracked his knuckles, attempting to dispel the tension that gripped him. "Hey. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, Fred," Mia responded, her lips curving into a small, tentative smile.
As Mia continued to chat with her audience, trying to coax money from them with flirtatious banter, Jax couldn't help but worry about how thin Mia looked, her cheekbones prominent beneath her fragile skin. Despite her beauty, it was clear she was suffering, struggling under the weight of her circumstances. It made him want to reach through the screen, wrap her in his arms, and protect her from the darkness that threatened to consume her.
"Damn," he whispered to himself. "Don't fuck this up, Jax."
As Mia rolled onto her back, giving her viewers a look at her surprisingly ample bosom, Jax heard a ding that told him that Mia’s cash pot was going up.
He knew that he was going to have to pay her, too, if he stood a chance of getting somewhere with this.
He opened up a private chat box.
“Hello,” he typed.
"Hi there," Mia typed back, along with a smiley face emoji. She wasn’t smiling in real life, though. "I'm Mia. What can I do for you tonight?"
Jax hesitated, the worry gnawing at his gut. But the time had come. He was going to do this. He was going to help Mia break free.